


You First

by linasane



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-20
Updated: 2014-08-20
Packaged: 2018-02-13 22:43:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2167932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linasane/pseuds/linasane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the prompt "Dean denying to Sam that he and Cas are in love and Cas overhears and gets upset. Dean tells Cas he loves him and Sam overhears this."</p>
            </blockquote>





	You First

Castiel blinks slowly back into awareness in the back of the Impala.  He’s curled up on the backseat, trenchcoat laid over him like a blanket, familiar leather jacket over that.  Out the window, he can see a few treetops and a starry sky, so he figures they’re still at the lake.

They’ve been here all day – him, Dean, and Sam – basking in the sun and playing in the water, just as they’ve done every summer.  He remembers the three of them clambering back into the Impala to avoid the bugs that had come out at dusk.  They had just been hanging out inside the car, talking about anything and everything, not wanting to head home quite yet, and Castiel must have fallen asleep.

He’s about to sit back up when he hears a conversation from the front seat that freezes him in place.

“What about you, Dean?  Are you ever gonna tell him?”

“Tell who what, Sammy?”

“Tell _Cas_ ,” Sam says, and even in the backseat, Castiel can  _hear_  the bitchface.

There’s a moment of silence in which Dean must look very confused, because Sam continues with a heavy sigh, “That you  _love him_.”

Dean sputters as Castiel all but stops breathing in the back seat, not wanting to miss his best friend’s answer.

“What the hell are you talking about, Sam?” Dean finally gets out, and Castiel’s heart sinks.

“Come on, Dean.  Are you really going to deny it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dean says, and Cas can tell he’s gritting his teeth.

“But—”

“Can it, Sam,” Dean grinds out as the Impala’s engine roars to life, “We’re going home.”

Castiel continues to lie still on the backseat, even as the Impala lurches over the uneven dirt road that leads out from the lake.  He tries not to feel disappointed, tries to tell himself that he and Dean are just friends, and that he’s okay with that.  He tries, and he fails.  The thing is, recently Castiel had thought that the crush he’s been harboring for the eldest Winchester since middle school might not be as unrequited as it had always seemed.  There had been…moments, recently, between him and Dean.  Times when they had turned and realized how close they were to each other, times when everything around them had seemed to slow, and he had been sure Dean was staring at his lips, times when, stupidly, Castiel had allowed himself to hope.

Eventually, the Impala comes to a stop, but Castiel’s mind keeps on whirring.  He’s vaguely aware of sitting up and climbing out of the car, barely muttering out a goodbye before heading into his own house and up the stairs to his room.  He doesn’t even bother changing into pajamas before he flops down onto his bed, suddenly exhausted.

Tired as he is, he spends an hour staring up at the ceiling before he falls into a restless sleep.

* * *

The next day, Castiel only gets out of bed to shower and change into some sweats before he climbs right back in.  When his mother comes to check on him, she seems shocked, and why shouldn’t she be?  Castiel is never home during the summer, he’s always up and running over to the Winchester’s first thing in the morning, not to be seen again until well into the night.

His mother is immediately concerned, asking Cas what’s wrong and if he’s sick.  He reassures her that he’s just tired, and, thankfully, she leaves him be.

Which, unfortunately, means leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He knows he’s being ridiculous.  He’s been in love with Dean for years without any reciprocation, and he’s been always been okay with that.  So why is it such a big deal now?  More importantly, how is he supposed to make it stop?

Cas is so wrapped up in his own head that he doesn’t register anyone coming up the stairs until there are voices right outside his door.

“Castiel’s not feeling very well right now, Dean.  I wouldn’t want you to get sick, too.”

“It’s alright Mrs. Novak.  I just wanna check on him real quick, make sure he’s okay.”

That’s all the warning Cas gets before Dean walks through his door, shutting it behind him before he walks over and plops himself down onto the bed beside his friend.

“Dude,” Dean says, suddenly way too close, “What happened?  You were fine last night.”

“I’m not feeling well,” Castiel mumbles, reluctantly rolling over to face his friend.

“You look fine to me,” Dean says, jokingly laying the back of his hand against Castiel’s forehead, “Yup.  Totally fine.”

“I’m tired,” Cas lies.

“Well then you can come nap at our place,” Dean says, “Come on, man, we’re having a Star Wars marathon.  You can’t miss that.”

Castiel just shakes his head and moves to roll back over, but Dean catches his shoulder, holding him in place.

“Cas, seriously,” he says, “What’s up?”

Cas takes one look at his friend’s face and sighs, sitting up, he knows Dean’s not letting this go anytime soon.

But he honestly doesn’t know how to explain without admitting to his best friend that he’s in love with him.

Luckily, Dean saves him from having to say anything, running a nervous hand through his hair before he says, “You didn’t, uh, did you hear me and Sammy last night?”

Castiel just nods, unable to look his friend in the eye.

“Fuck,” Dean says, “Look man, uh, Sammy doesn’t know what he’s talking about okay?”

Cas does look up at Dean then, tilting his head in confusion because  _what_?

His friend looks right back at him, scrutinizing his reaction before he speaks again.

“Unless,” he says slowly, “It wasn’t what Sam asked that bothered you…it was my answer?”

Cas looks right back down at his hands, mouth pressed in a thin line.

“Come on, Cas,” Dean urges, “You gotta talk to me here.”

And something about the tone of his voice leaves Castiel unable to contain it any longer.

“Yes!” he blurts, looking up to glare at his friend.  He’s angry at Dean, angry for making Cas love him, for making him explain himself.  “Yes, it’s about what you said, okay?” he says, quieter this time, defeated, “I just…recently I thought that maybe there was something here, between us, you know?  And then you said that and it hurt, because I’m an idiot, and of course you don’t—“

“Cas!” Dean cuts him off, and Castiel’s surprised to find his friend grinning.

“What?”

Dean just shrugs.  “You’re an idiot,” he says, voice fond, before reaching up and pulling Cas into a kiss.

He keeps a hand on his friend’s neck as they pull back, making sure to catch his gaze.

“I was  _lying_ ,” Dean explains, “Of course I love you, you dork.  I’ve been in love with you for ages.  I just…” he shrugs, a soft blush rising to his cheeks, “I wanted to tell you first.”

Cas finds himself unable to speak for a moment, grinning as wide as he is at Dean’s words.

When he finally does, all he gets out is, “I love you, too.”  Before Dean’s tackling him back onto the bed in another kiss.

* * *

Castiel spends the rest of his summer, as he always has, at the Winchester’s house.  The only change is that now, he spends a good amount of that time wrapped up in Dean Winchester’s arms.

Sam gloats for days about being right, but Dean and Cas are too happy to pay him any mind.


End file.
